Saw the 2-person, almost freestanding Dash 2 at REI (it needs to be staked out in the back). I liked it because it weighs 2lbs 7oz, has a door on each side, so each person gets a door and a tiny vestibule and a fair amount of headroom. Spendy, though, at $349.

I had a small North Face mesh tent that I used for many, many years. It kept me warm and dry (or cool and dry, depending), but twice in southeastern Utah, thunderstorms blew in and the intense winds ahead of the storms blew a rather amazing amount of fine sand/grit right through the mesh and into my hair and sleeping bag, even though the fly was buttoned down tight. So when using a mesh tent, this is one of the few drawbacks.
The whole hammock thing looks intriguing, but I sleep on my side and can't imagine how that would work in a hammock.

That is the claimed weight based on tent, fly and poles, not necessarily the actual weight on the bike or trail. That is a claimed 1.33 kg which is still it is not a bad weight, assuming it is realistic, for what is claimed to be a two person tent. I be inclined think of this as more of as a nice lightweight spacey one person tent rather than a two, but I guess it comes down to who you are sharing with

That is the claimed weight based on tent, fly and poles, not necessarily the actual weight on the bike or trail. That is a claimed 1.33 kg which is still it is not a bad weight, assuming it is realistic, for what is claimed to be a two person tent. I be inclined think of this as more of as a nice lightweight spacey one person tent rather than a two, but I guess it comes down to who you are sharing with Andrew

DH and I can make it work! Agree that with stakes and even a footprint, weight would likely be closer to 3lbs. Even at 3lbs it seems a reasonable weight for two; a bit heavy for one.
And yes, it would be snug, but having a door for each person makes it infinitely more workable, plus there is a fair amount of head room.
Over the many, many years I've been tent camping, once the tent is set up and I crawl inside and zip up the door, I'm home. I don't think I could get comfortable with a tarp or bivy.
Other long standing preference: free-standing tent that pitches tight; I hate the sound of a rain fly going flappeta-flappeta-flappeta all night in the wind.

The whole hammock thing looks intriguing, but I sleep on my side and can't imagine how that would work in a hammock.

i am a stomach sleeper and use a hammock. there's no way i can sleep on my belly but i sure can sleep on my side in one. most good hammocks are made to sleep diagonally to accommodate the side sleeper. traditional banana style often feels good too.

I mostly cowboy camp under the stars or use a Zpacks 8x10 cuben fiber flat tarp. Packs down to about the size of a softball and weighs ~6oz. Plenty of coverage and lots of pitching options. I bring along some extra lengths of thin cord so I can tie off to surrounding trees, my bike, or whatever is available. Don't have to carry any poles.

If I'm expecting some real weather or plan to share a shelter with others, then I have an MLD Duomid, an MLD Trailstar and a Golite SL3 to choose from. All are a bit heavier/bulkier than the flat tarp, but all are still well under 2 lbs and offer excellent wind/snow/rain protection. I have a carbon fiber collapsible pole that works with these shelters and weighs just a few ounces.

I can pair any of the (above) shelters with either a bug bivy (silnylon bottom, bug netting top) or a normal bivy (silnylon bottom, pertex top) for added protection. Both bivies weigh about another 4-5 oz.

Most of the time though, I just use a piece of polycro or a half of an SOL Emergency Blanket as a groundcloth. Weighs an ounce or two, only costs a couple of bucks and is reasonably durable. The emergency blanket can (obviously) double as a signal device and/or blanket for emergencies...

Too many mosquitos, red ants and a gazillion other types of flying, crawling and biting things where I am for just a tarp. It is also way too hot to use an an air matress in a bivvy or tent on the ground. At a little over 1Kg for all, my hennesey deep jungle hammock is the best option. I had a sub 500g lightweight hammock but the critters could bite my ass through it. Insect bites directly under a sit bone and 6 hours in the saddle makes for an uncomfortable day; something for one of those celebrity torture TV shows I reckon

how tall are you? Im 6'4" and considering this tent but concerned about actual size opposed to claimed.
thanks!

Hola nolamonster!

I´m 6'0" and found it REALLY comfortable for me and all my gear (or me & a friendly female companion, leaving all our stuff at the vestibule)... I guess with 6'4" you´ll be too close to the walls of the tent and won´t have much room to move (if any) unless you sleep diagonally.

I bought my Fly Creek UL 2 last year and I couldn´t be happier with it... but I´ve to admit that it feels pretty delicate and I´m not sure how it will handle 120-150 continuous days of use (so far the longest I used it was 1 week).

During Black Friday-Cyber Monday I´s very close to buying Nemo´s Veda 1P tent as I always carry my trekking poles when camping. I used another of their tents at Aconcagua and was amazed by their quality and design (and Veda had a good weight/size/price relation).